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Authors: Brad R. Torgersen

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Racers of the Night: Science Fiction Stories by Brad R. Torgersen

BOOK: Racers of the Night: Science Fiction Stories by Brad R. Torgersen
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Table of Contents

Science Fiction Stories

by Brad R. Torgersen

Racers of the Night

Brad R. Torgersen

Flying at the Speed of Night
. . . Following in the successful footsteps of his previous short fiction collection (“
Lights in the Deep”)
award-winning and award-nominated Science Fiction author Brad R. Torgersen is back with twelve new tales. From the edges of explored space, to the depths of the artificial soul. At once breaking the limits of human endurance, while also treading the tender landscapes of the human heart. Originally appearing in the pages of
Analog
magazine,
Orson Scott Card’s InterGalactic Medicine Show
magazine, Mike Resnick’s
Galaxy’s Edge
magazine, and elsewhere, these stories are collected here for the first time; with commentary and anecdotes from the author. Introductions by bestsellers L.E. Modesitt, Jr., Kevin J. Anderson, and Dave Wolverton (Farland.)

***

Smashwords Edition – 2014

WordFire Press

wordfirepress.com

ISBN: 978-1-61475-231-8

Copyright © 2014 Brad R. Torgersen

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the express written permission of the copyright holder, except where permitted by law. This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination, or, if real, used fictitiously.

This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Cover design by Nick Greenwood

www.nickgreenwood.com

and

Art Director Kevin J. Anderson

Book Design by RuneWright, LLC

www.RuneWright.com

Kevin J. Anderson & Rebecca Moesta, Publishers

Published by

WordFire Press, an imprint of

WordFire, Inc.

PO Box 1840

Monument, CO 80132

Electronic Version by Baen Books

www.baen.com

***

Introduction 1

by L.E. Modesitt, Jr.

When Brad asked me to write an introduction to
Racers of the Night
, I was certainly surprised, but more than happy to do so. Not only because I appreciate and admire his work, but also because we both share one prominent similarity—each of us came comparatively late to our writing careers. If my calculations are correct, Brad published his first story when he was 28. I was 30 when I published my first story, and 39 when my first novel came out—while Brad will be 40 when his first novel,
The Chaplain’s War,
is published by Baen. Also, both of us continued working full-time (and more) for others, even after years of regular publication.

I wouldn’t go quite so far as to say that Brad burst upon the science fiction scene, but over the past five years he’s gone from virtual literary invisibility to being a winner of The Writers of the Future contest, a finalist for the 2012 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, a Nebula award nomination, three Hugo nominations, and two AnLab readers’ choice awards from
Analog Science Fiction and Fact
magazine. Not only that, but he got
all
of those awards and nominations for his short fiction. Which is hard to do, and is especially impressive given the short time span in which Brad did it. He’s also known for an even-handed and considerably less-than-inflammatory web blog that discusses not only writing-related issues, but a range of other topics as well.

What makes Mr. Torgersen so well-rounded?

Like me, Brad’s had several careers, and still maintains three—as a medical technologist, as a United States Army Reserve Chief Warrant Officer (including a not insignificant amount of time on active duty orders), and as a writer. Brad’s stories are therefore edged in an often gritty, realistic manner; something that’s more than occasionally missing in much contemporary science fiction. What Brad’s learned from occupations (and life) suffuses his stories.

In “Peacekeepers,” Brad shows you all sides of the life of a professional soldier, including the impact of politics. In “The Flamingo Girl,” there’s the combination of success that only comes from relentless law enforcement-learned routine, and an understanding of all sides of human nature—even when one of those involved isn’t even considered truly human. Another and totally different riff on law enforcement comes via “Blood and Mirrors,” with a twist on what aspects of artificial intelligence become most marketable (and why) and where this leads. As for thrills, how about “The Curse of Sally Tincakes”—racing on the Moon on a track considered fatal for any woman who tries, because of another woman who is long-dead. Or what about “Life Flight,” an interstellar travelogue which explores the impact of unknown genetics on a young crew member bound for the stars?

Whatever story is your favorite—and you may find several—reading Brad R. Torgersen should not only entertain you, but make you think … and think again.

— L.E. Modesitt, Jr., May 2014

***

Introduction 2

by Kevin J. Anderson

When I was just starting as a writer, I hung out with other newbie authors, exchanging ideas, learning the ropes, sometimes sharing breakthroughs, sometimes sharing ignorance. I also knew a few big name authors who took an interest in me and offered their advice.

One of my greatest early mentors was Dean Koontz, who was willing to offer suggestions, listen to problems and questions, and lend a helping a hand. I could contact Dean with a contract concern, ask his opinion on a pending deal. He was instrumental in getting me my agent, and he even gave me a cover blurb for a very important book.

Dean was a huge name in the field and he certainly didn’t need to go out of his way to help one particular aspiring author; in fact, the more I thought about his generosity, the more astonished I was. When I finally asked Dean why he had noticed me in particular, he explained that he had given a lot of advice over the years, “and you were one of the only writers who actually listened.”

I remembered that, and as I became more and more successful myself, I also spent time teaching writing students: passing along my knowledge and trying to help other newbies avoid making the same mistakes I had made (so that they could make brand new mistakes all on their own).

Brad R. Torgersen is one of the ones who listened.

I first met Brad in 2010, when he was part of a group of a dozen new winners at the Writers of the Future gala and workshop. I’ve been a judge and instructor at Writers of the Future since 1996, and I’ve noticed that it’s typical for several writers in each year’s group to establish successful writing careers of their own, while most others vanish into obscurity—you never know which will be which.

I therefore had no reason to notice Brad in particular. He was cheerful about his win and excited for the future. But then, they’re
all
like that. So you—as the judge—give them your wisdom and you wish them well, and you go back to your professional life where deadlines and projects multiply like kudzu.

Except, Brad showed up at our Superstars Writing Seminar—an intensive career-building workshop taught by bestselling writers—in Salt Lake City, just a few months later. He had a story in print with
Analog
magazine by then; his second professional sale. What was more,
Analog
had taken two more stories on top of that. Later in the same year I met Brad for the third time, at the 2011 Writers of the Future event, where Brad had come back to act as a sort of ambassador to the new winners—showing them what was possible, if you put your mind to it.

Clearly, this was a new writer determined to be noticed.

Brad and I struck up a relationship after that. He continued selling stories to
Analog
magazine, and he went out of his way to ask me for advice online. He also built a group of followers through social networking, and he made additional sales to other short fiction venues, such as
Orson Scott Card’s InterGalactic Medicine Show
. Brad was also collaborating with fellow Writers of the Future judge and friend of mine, Mike Resnick, and when in 2012 Brad returned to Superstars—this time in Las Vegas, helping me out as one of our Superstars volunteers—he was a triple nominee for three of science fiction’s top awards: the Hugo, the Nebula, and the Campbell. On top of the nominations, he’d also won the
Analog
AnLab—a readers’ choice award chosen by the magazine’s subscribers.

This collective swell in notoriety ultimately got him the notice of Toni Weisskopf, chief editor and publisher of Baen Books; to whom Brad sold his first novel in 2013. A transaction I proudly oversaw, as one of Brad’s counselors on the affair. My blurb is on the front of his book, as a matter of fact (hat tip to Dean Koontz.)

But Brad had a problem. The novel wouldn’t be published until late 2014, and with all his convention appearances there were fans who kept asking Brad for a book
now.
He therefore got the notion that he wanted to publish a collection of his award-winning and award-nominated short work. A very good idea, I thought. There was clear demand for his stuff, and Brad aimed to satisfy that demand. Simple businessman economics.

But short fiction collections are a tough sell to traditional publishers. And even if Brad could successfully pitch his project to an editor, it would take years for the book to reach print. Brad wanted something he could put into fans’ hands immediately. So he was openly talking of self-publishing the collection.

I wasn’t quite sure that self-publishing was the right route for him, since Brad has a full-time job, is also a Chief Warrant Officer in the Army Reserve, had other books to write, and self-publishing the book—correctly, to professional standards—would consume time Brad honestly didn’t have. He also wouldn’t know how to navigate the various distribution channels, nor have access to proofing and formatting and the other necessities of a professional label.

I therefore offered to publish Brad’s first story collection,
Lights in the Deep
, at WordFire Press. We had the resources to do it right, and I thought we could find the right readers for it too. Ergo, capitalize on fans Brad had already earned, and get him a flotilla of new readers to boot.

That turned out to be exactly the case. The book, when done, looked beautiful. Brad got a gorgeous cover painting from award-winning artist Bob Eggleton—the same painting editor Stan Schmidt had previously commissioned for one of Brad’s stories in
Analog
magazine—and we released the book at the inaugural (and very successful) Salt Lake City Comic Con, in September 2013. Brad did a signing at the WordFire table behind a small mountain of his books—a stack that rapidly diminished over the course of the weekend.

Brad’s fans rallied on-line too, and the book sold quite well, hitting several Amazon category bestseller lists. Enough so that within thirty days Brad had earned enough royalties from
Lights in the Deep
to pay his mortgage that month—a terrific performance for a first short story collection from a relatively new author published by an independent press.

So of course we were interested in doing his second collection, when he floated the idea at Superstars in 2014. A collection which you now hold in your hands.

Brad is a prolific short story writer with the chops of a pro. I published one of his novellas in my second
Five by Five
military science fiction anthology, and also invited him to contribute a story for my second
Fantastic Holiday Season
anthology. (Of course that may be just a devious ploy to get him to write more short stories, so WordFire can put together the contents for yet another volume.)

Racers of the Night
is therefore a strong collection showcasing the work of a rising author on the move. Dip in, read one or two at a time, or devour the whole collection straight through.

Then? You’ll surely be ready for more. Goodness knows readers are. As of the writing of this introduction, Brad has secured a second AnLab award, and two more Hugo nominations; for stories Brad published in
Analog
magazine, and which he re-printed in
Lights in the Deep.

Racers of the Night
contains more of the same. I think you will enjoy.

—Kevin J. Anderson, May 2014

***

BOOK: Racers of the Night: Science Fiction Stories by Brad R. Torgersen
13.96Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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